Day: October 2, 2018

But unplanned, unmanaged population growth is killing Melbourne’s liveability. Already at five million people, Melbourne is has lost its title as the most liveable city and is heading towards urban claustrophobia, not because we aren’t welcoming growth but because the current Andrews Government policy settings aren’t keeping pace with it.

For this reason, the Liberal Nationals say it’s time for the talkfest to end and for real action to begin.

A Liberal Nationals Government will establish a Population Commission with a board of seven appointed by the Premier .

The Population Commission will work across state departments and with the Federal Government to determine the forecast population levels for Victoria up until the year 2100.

Melbourne’s population grows by nearly 3,000 people per week

The Commission will also work with local councils to determine how population is likely to change over the same time periods.

Suburbs across Melbourne are being strangled by population growth. Local infrastructure and key services including police, education and health are failing to keep up with the growing demand.

Localised population limits and targets will be determined by the Population Commission to assist with decentralising our population and protecting our communities from overdevelopment.

This is a positive plan to manage population growth by decentralising our state. A Liberal Nationals Government will focus on creating good jobs in regional Victoria and carefully planning for growth outside Melbourne.

How much longer can Melbourne remain as one of the world’s most liveable cities with exponential population growth?

The Population Commission will also work with the Federal Government on policy changes to the visa program to help direct migrants into long term settlement in regional Victoria. This is where honest conversations will need to be had about immigration levels and the settlement of immigrants into different regions.

Managing the explosion in our population is one of the biggest challenges facing Victoria today but also an incredibly exciting opportunity to regionalise our growth focus beyond suburban Melbourne.

Only the Liberal Nationals have a solid plan in place that will carefully manage our daily population growth protect Victoria well into the future.